BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 10. Iran considers ratification of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea appropriate, and the parliament should adopt a decision on the convention.
This was announced by the press service of the Iranian MFA, citing spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei's remarks at a press conference in Tehran on August 10.
Baghaei noted that In general, various claims are made regarding Iran's share of the Caspian Sea's subsoil resources and other issues, such as 50%, 20%, or less or more
"However, there is no mention of the starting line of the Caspian Sea in the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Because if the starting line is not determined, one cannot talk about Iran's share."
"Discussions about the starting line should be held in other formats, including bilateral ones. Iran's discussions on this with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have been started for a while and have stopped for a while. However, these discussions are an issue that should be continued," he said.
Baghaei said that in 7-8 years, it is the right time for the government to submit to the parliament the Convention, which 4 countries have joined and which defines the legal framework, prevents the militarization of the Caspian Sea, and has important and useful features. Accordingly, a decision should be made on the convention. The decision on the convention should be made by the Iranian parliament.
The Caspian Sea is approximately 1,200 km long, with a maximum width of 466 km and a minimum width of 204 km. The length of the sea's coastline is approximately 6,380 km. There are 5 littoral countries around the sea - Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
On August 12, 2018, at the 5th summit of the Caspian littoral countries (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan) in Aktau, Kazakhstan, the heads of state signed a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Although the convention has been ratified by the parliaments of 4 countries, it has not yet been ratified by the Iranian parliament.
The share of countries in the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea is intended to be resolved within the framework of a bilateral agreement between the countries.
